A power supply device for providing an output voltage includes a first resonant converter, a second resonant converter, a first converting circuit, and a current regulating circuit. The first resonant converter is for converting a first input voltage into the output voltage. The second resonant converter is for converting a second input voltage into the output voltage. The output ends of the first and second resonant converters are coupled in parallel. The first converting circuit is coupled to the first resonant converter and is operable to provide the first input voltage to the first resonant converter. The current regulating circuit receives signals related to output currents of the first and second resonant converters, and drives operation of the first converting circuit according to the signals received thereby such that the output currents of the first and second resonant converters have substantially equal magnitudes.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A power supply device for providing an output voltage, comprising: a first resonant converter for receiving a first input voltage and converting the first input voltage into the output voltage, said first resonant converter having an input end, and an output end for outputting the output voltage; a second resonant converter for receiving a second input voltage and converting the second input voltage into the output voltage, said second resonant converter having an output end for outputting the output voltage, said output ends of said first and second resonant converters being coupled in parallel; a first converting circuit coupled to said input end of said first resonant converter and operable to provide the first input voltage to said first resonant converter; and a current regulating circuit coupled to said first and second resonant converters for receiving signals that are related to output currents of said first and second resonant converters, said current regulating circuit driving operation of said first converting circuit according to the signals received thereby such that the output currents of said first and second resonant converters have substantially equal magnitudes.
2. The power supply device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said first converting circuit receives the second input voltage and converts the second input voltage into the first input voltage.
3. The power supply device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said current regulating circuit includes: a subtractor coupled to said output ends of said first and second resonant converters for generating a first error signal corresponding to a difference between currents received from said first and second resonant converters, respectively; and a current regulator coupled to said subtractor and said first converting circuit, said current regulator receiving the first error signal, generating a first driving signal according to the first error signal, and providing the first driving signal to said first converting circuit for driving operation of said first converting circuit.
4. The power supply device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said first converting circuit includes a storage inductor, and said current regulating circuit includes: a subtractor coupled to said second resonant converter and said first converting circuit for generating a first error signal corresponding to a difference between input current of said second resonant converter and inductor current of said storage inductor of said first converting circuit; and a current regulator coupled to said subtractor and said first converting circuit, said current regulator receiving the first error signal, generating a first driving signal according to the first error signal, and providing the first driving signal to said first converting circuit for driving operation of said first converting circuit.
5. The power supply device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said first converting circuit is one of a buck converter, a boost converter, and a buck-boost converter.
6. The power supply device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a control signal generating circuit coupled to said first and second resonant converters for generating a first control signal and a second control signal according to the output voltage, the first and second control signals being provided to said first and second resonant converters, respectively, for controlling the output voltage from said first and second resonant converters.
7. The power supply device as claimed in claim 6 , wherein said control signal generating circuit includes a voltage regulator coupled to said first and second resonant converters for receiving the output voltage, and generating the second control signal according to the output voltage, said voltage regulator being further coupled to said second resonant converter for providing the second control signal thereto, and a phase shifting circuit coupled to said voltage regulator for receiving the second control signal, and generating the first control signal by phase shifting the second control signal by a predetermined angle, said phase shifting circuit being further coupled to said first resonant converter for providing the first control signal thereto.
8. The power supply device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said first and second control signals have the same amplitude and a 90-degree phase difference.
9. The power supply device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said second resonant converter further has an input end, said power supply device further comprising a second converting circuit coupled to said input end of said second resonant converter and operable to provide the second input voltage to said second resonant converter.
10. The power supply device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein said current regulating circuit includes: an output voltage regulator coupled to said first and second resonant converters for generating first and second reference currents that correspond to the output voltage; a first subtractor coupled to said output voltage regulator and said first resonant converter for generating a first error signal corresponding to a difference between current received from said first resonant converter and the first reference current; a first current regulator coupled to said first subtractor and said first converting circuit, said first current regulator receiving the first error signal, generating a first driving signal according to the first error signal, and providing the first driving signal to said first converting circuit for driving operation of said first converting circuit; a second subtractor coupled to said output voltage regulator and said second resonant converter for generating a second error signal corresponding to a difference between current received from said second resonant converter and the second reference current; and a second current regulator coupled to said second subtractor and said second converting circuit, said second current regulator receiving the second error signal, generating a second driving signal according to the second error signal, and providing the second driving signal to said second converting circuit for driving operation of said second converting circuit.
11. The power supply device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein each of said first and second converting circuits has a storage inductor, and said current regulating circuit includes: an output voltage regulator coupled to said first and second resonant converters for generating first and second reference currents that correspond to the output voltage; a first subtractor coupled to said output voltage regulator and said first converting circuit for generating a first error signal corresponding to a difference between inductor current of said storage inductor of said first converting circuit and the first reference current; a first current regulator coupled to said first subtractor and said first converting circuit, said first current regulator receiving the first error signal, generating a first driving signal according to the first error signal, and providing the first driving signal to said first converting circuit for driving operation of said first converting circuit; a second subtractor coupled to said output voltage regulator and said second converting circuit for generating a second error signal corresponding to a difference between inductor current of said storage inductor of said second converting circuit and the second reference current; and a second current regulator coupled to said second subtractor and said second converting circuit, said second current regulator receiving the second error signal, generating a second driving signal according to the second error signal, and providing the second driving signal to said second converting circuit for driving operation of said second converting circuit.
12. The power supply device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein said current regulating circuit includes: an output voltage regulator coupled to said first and second resonant converters for generating first and second reference currents that correspond to the output voltage; an error current generator coupled to said output ends of said first and second resonant converters for generating first and second error currents each corresponding to a difference between currents received from said first and second resonant converters, respectively; an adder coupled to said output voltage regulator and said error current generator for generating a first driving current corresponding to a sum of the first error current and the first reference current; a first pulse-width modulator coupled to said adder and said first converting circuit, said first pulse-width modulator receiving the first driving current, generating a first driving signal according to the first driving current, and providing the first driving signal to said first converting circuit for driving operation of said first converting circuit; a subtractor coupled to said output voltage regulator and said error current generator for generating a second driving current corresponding to a difference between the second error current and the second reference current; and a second pulse-width modulator coupled to said subtractor and said second converting circuit, said second pulse-width modulator receiving the second driving current, generating a second driving signal according to the second driving current, and providing the second driving signal to said second converting circuit for driving operation of said second converting circuit.
13. The power supply device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein each of said first and second converting circuits has a storage inductor, and said current regulating circuit includes: an output voltage regulator coupled to said first and second resonant converters for generating first and second reference currents that correspond to the output voltage; an error current generator coupled to said first and second converting circuits for generating first and second error currents each corresponding to a difference between inductor currents of said storage inductors of said first and second converting circuits, respectively; an adder coupled to said output voltage regulator and said error current generator for generating a first driving current corresponding to a sum of the first error current and the first reference current; a first pulse-width modulator coupled to said adder and said first converting circuit, said first pulse-width modulator receiving the first driving current, generating a first driving signal according to the first driving current, and providing the first driving signal to said first converting circuit for driving operation of said first converting circuit; a subtractor coupled to said output voltage regulator and said error current generator for generating a second driving current corresponding to a difference between the second error current and the second reference current; and a second pulse-width modulator coupled to said subtractor and said second converting circuit, said second pulse-width modulator receiving the second driving current, generating a second driving signal according to the second driving current, and providing the second driving signal to said second converting circuit for driving operation of said second converting circuit.
14. The power supply device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein each of said first and second converting circuits is one of a boost convert, a buck converter, and a boost-buck converter.
15. The power supply device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein said first and second resonant converters are configured to receive first and second control signals, respectively, for controlling the output voltage from said first and second resonant converters.
16. The power supply device as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising a phase shifting circuit for receiving the second control signal, and generating the first control signal by phase shifting the second control signal by a predetermined angle.
17. The power supply device as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the first and second control signals have the same amplitude and a 90-degree phase difference.
18. A uniform current control method to be performed by a power supply device that includes a first resonant converter and a second resonant converter having output ends thereof coupled in parallel, a converting circuit coupled to an input end of the first resonant converter, and a current regulating circuit coupled to the first and second resonant converters, said uniform current control method comprising the steps of: (A) configuring the current regulating circuit of the power supply device for sampling output currents of the first and second resonant converters in order to obtain signals related to the output currents of the first and second resonant converters; (B) configuring the current regulating circuit to drive operation of the converting circuit according to the signals obtained in step (A); and (C) configuring the converting circuit to provide an input voltage to at least one of the first and second resonant converters, such that the output currents of the first and second resonant converters are controlled to have substantially equal magnitudes.
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January 11, 2010
June 4, 2013
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